Metallic Flower
by Hidden in Shadow's Safety
Summary: Saffron Greystone, otherwise known as Silver, manages to escape life with her abusive mother, only to end up at Wammy's House. When she ends up being roommates with the resident "Sheep" of the orphanage, a bond ends up forming between the two children with the harshest pasts. Just when she thinks everything is going to be okay for her, everything gets flipped upside down. NearXOC
1. Prologue: Who I Am

METALLIC FLOWER

Prologue:

Who I Am

* * *

My name is Saffron Greystone. Before I start getting into retelling my adventures at Wammy's House, I should probably tell you about myself, shouldn't I? Well, I'll give you a little bit of my life story, but I'm not going to ramble on.

Right off the bat, I should tell you I'm a genius. And I mean IQ over 170 genius. It's not too high compared to some of my friends, but I'm still a literal genius, so it's good enough for me. Funny thing is, I don't know where I inherited the brains from. I mean, I know both of my parents were smart, but neither of them had an IQ over 130.

I guess that may be why my father seemed afraid of me. When I was 5, and could easily solve mathematical problems and read books that 10-12 year old students would often struggle with, my family and teachers knew something was up; that I wasn't a normal child. I guess my father was intimidated by having such an "abnormal" child, so he left. Last I heard he had a happy little family in the US.

In all honesty, I don't think I was that much different from other children. I mean yes, I was a lot smarter, and a bit quieter, but I still acted pretty much the same. I didn't even look that different. Note the "didn't." By now, I look a bit different from most humans. As to why, I'll explain that in a bit.

When my father left, my mother became extremely lonely. I understand that much. What I still can't understand is the way she chose to cope with that loneliness. She somehow converted it into anger, which manifested in her mind for a couple months. One day, I became extremely concerned for her; she was letting herself go completely. The woman I once knew; strong, brave, calm, and caring... she was gone. The woman who took her place was a mess. Always drinking, getting pissed off by the smallest of things, and completely ignoring me. When I asked her what was wrong, she grabbed my hair and dragged me upstairs, then pushed me back down.

Over and over, I was dragged up then pushed down. Oftentimes, my right eye would hit the corner of the table at the bottom of the staircase. Honestly, I think it's a miracle that I can still see out of that eye.

The torture continues until I passed out. When I woke up, I would be in bed. If there was school, I would get up and go to school like I normally did, and if not, then I would go see my mother again, either way, the abuse continued.

No matter what I did, or how much I cried, she wouldn't relent her way of treating me. Actually, the more I cried, the worse I was treated.

Monday to Friday, every week, I would go to school each morning, and come back in the afternoon. I always failed to hide the bruises, not that I really tried anyway; yet, no one asked. I can only wish they did. My teachers noticed, I know they did. If someone had asked where I got those bruises, I would have gotten out of there before I did.

Eventually, as in by my seventh birthday, the iris of my right eye had turned completely silver, due to the trauma it had endured. That little trait would make it difficult for me to hide my identity. I mean, _how many people_ had a dark blue left eye and a silver right one? If you guessed just me, you're probably right.

From here, I don't know what all else I can tell you, so I may as well get into the main story; the main event. Without further ado, I will end this prologue, and get into the actual story.

Good dreams and nightmares.

* * *

**A.N. See what I did there? If you think you recognize the external reference, and what it's referencing, leave your guess in the form of a review. I will announce who got it right at the start of the next chapter.**


	2. Chapter I: Burn

METALLIC FLOWER

Chapter I:

Burn

**A.N. The reference in the prologue was "good dreams and nightmares," the very last line. As for where it's from... it's the last line in the prologue of Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases. I had to find somewhere for her to basically quote Mello, and that's what I did. Sadly, no one figured it out. Then again, I didn't really give it that much time.**

* * *

"Mommy stop!" I cried out, as she pinned me to the floor. I was trapped underneath of her, my stomach pressed against the floor. In response, she yanked my hair. The left side of my face was the side against the floor, meaning I could clearly see the fireplace, as well as what she did next.

My mother grabbed a nearby pair of scissors and cut my shirt in half, exposing my back. After moving the fabric away, she grabbed the poker from the fireplace and moved back a bit.

Searing pain attacked my back as she placed the red-hot steel against my skin. I could feel the centre of the pain -where the tip of the poker was- move in a pattern across my left shoulder blade. A crescent moon.

"Please!" I cried, "stop!" No matter how much I cried and begged, she refused to let up. Instead, she slowed down. The pain lasted longer, and burned more of my skin.

Remembering we lived in a duplex, I continued to scream at the top of my lungs, hoping, praying that our neighbours were home, would hear me, and try to stop it.

A few moments longer, my prayers were answered. "Lucille, is everything okay?" a voice asked. I recognized it as Mr. Coldstream, our neighbour who also happened to be a cop.

Mother hit the side of my head to try and get me to be quiet. "Shut up you devil-child!" she cried, digging the poker into my shoulder.

"Mr. Coldstream!" I called out. "Help!" At that moment, I began to hear a furious pounding on the front door, followed by a crash. Footsteps thundered over to where we were, and my mother was pulled away. The poker was tossed aside, landing with the tip back in the fire place.

Struggling, I sat up and watched as handcuffs were placed around my mother's wrists, which were pinned behind her back. She had a wild, deranged look in her eyes, and I would do nothing but cower in fear.

"Saffron," Mr. Coldstream said gently. "Go over to my place, Mary will take care of you there."

Not knowing what else to do, I nodded, stood up and left. Doing my best to ignore the pain in my shoulder, I clutched the remainder of my shirt against my chest and stumbled through the room, past the busted down front door, and into the cold early March air.

I slowly made my way across the cold wooden deck between the two homes. Reaching the other door, I knocked. The door was opened by Mr. Coldstream's wife Mary. She's a gentle woman with long light blonde hair and green eyes. She's friendly, creative, smart, and the only person I could really look up to after my mother let herself go.

Mary gasped, then ushered me inside. "Saffron, you poor thing," she muttered. "Let's get you cleaned up." She took my hand and led me to the bathroom. Reaching under the sink, she pulled out a little box and opened it to reveal bottles and bandages.

"Can you please take your shirt off?" she asked gently. I complied, and allowed the cloth to fall to the floor. She grabbed a large hair clip and used it to hold my braids to the back of my head.

Mary took a white bottle out of the box and poured a little of the cream onto her hand before rubbing it onto my back. "It's burn cream," she explained, "to help the burn heal. Luckily for you, these burns aren't too serious. I'll just put it on tonight, and after that, I'll put aloe vera gel on to draw the heat away. Give it about four days, and you should be fine."

I nodded, as she continued rubbing the cream into my back, wincing whenever she touched the poker's path.

When she was finished, she spoke again. "Wait here," she told me, "I'm going to see if there's an old shirt of Alyssa's you can borrow."

A few moments later, she returned with a plain navy blue t-shirt. "Try this on," Mary said, handing me the shirt. I took it and slipped in over my head. The shirt was a little baggy, but it wasn't about to fall off or anything.

Nodding in approval, Mary left the room, and I followed her downstairs to the living room. There, I climbed onto the leather couch and laid down. My eyes slowly drifted shut as I fell asleep.


	3. Chapter II: Where I'll End Up

METALLIC FLOWER

Chapter II:

Where I End Up

**A.N. From the last few chapters, it's hard to believe it's a DN fic, isn't it? Oh well, it's getting there. And by that, I mean mentioned this chapter, actually getting into everything next chapter. This one's kind of long compared to the others so far, but I know exactly where I want to leave it off.**

The next morning, I woke up to hear Mr. Coldstream and Mary talking about something.

"What's going on with Lucille?" I heard Mary asked.

"She's in prison for a while, and her court appearance in next week. There's a likely chance she will also be sent to an asylum," Mr. Coldstream replied.

"What about Saffron, will she be staying here?"

"I'm sorry Mary, but no."

"Well why not Stephen? Why can't Saffron stay with us?"

"Money's tight. We can barely afford to keep everything paid for with us and Alyssa. By adding Saffron into the mix, it would be too expensive."

"I'm not worried about the money, Stephen!" Mary exclaimed. "I'm worried about Saffron ending up somewhere just as bad as -if not worse than- where she just got out of!"

"Mary, if she stays here with us, she will always have a constant reminder of what she went through. I don't want her having to deal with that, and I know you don't either."

"Every time she looks in a mirror, she'll be reminded anyway!" Mary protested. "Her eye will never be back to normal, and that burn on her back will leave a clear scar."

"Mary, stop arguing with me. Saffron isn't staying here with us, and that's final. Besides, I know somewhere she can go where she'll fit in."

"There isn't anywhere like that in this entire country!"

"The place I'm talking about is in England. It's a home for genius orphans like Saffron."

"What are you talking about Stephen?" Mary questioned.

"I'm talking about Wammy's House for Exceptional Children, located in Winchester, England. It's a perfect place for Saffron."

Mary sighed. "Fine. You go talk to Saffron about it."

I sat up as Mr. Coldstream walked into the room. "Did you hear that conversation?" he asked. I nodded. "Well?" he asked. "I don't mind going. I did a report about there in January, so I know a fair bit about the place."

"That was easier than expected. Come on, Mary's finishing up with breakfast."

I followed Mr. Coldstream into the kitchen and sat down at the table. Just as I got comfortable on the chair, Mary sat a plate of waffles down in front of me, syrup, butter, knife and fork included.

"Thank you Mary," I said before digging into my breakfast. What? I hadn't eaten at all the previous day, so I was starving!

"What did she say?" Mary asked.

"She doesn't mind going to Wammy's House," Mr. Coldstream replied. "She told me she did a report about the place in January, so she has a general idea of what she'll be getting herself into there."

"Are you sure about this Saffron?" Mary asked me. I nodded, since my mouth was full of buttery, sticky mapley, banana waffle goodness.

Mary sighed, but let the matter drop. I was going to Wammy's House, and there wasn't anything she could do to change it.

"We should get going, Saffron," Mr. Coldstream said a half hour later. "I'm going to take you over to your house so you can pack a few things, and then there's a flight to England we have to catch."

"I'm going to Wammy's today?" I asked, surprised.

"Stephen, when did you do that?" Mary questioned. "While Saffron was eating, I booked two plane tickets to England, and one back for tomorrow."

Sighing, Mary put the last clean plate away. "Well you two should get going then. I'll drive you both to the airport."

Back inside my house, I ran up the stairs to my bedroom. Icy tones of blue, white, silver were everywhere, accented with bits of black from a few objects around the room. I reached into my closet and pulled out a fairly large backpack. Then I went over to my dresser and started stuffing the backpack with clothes, leaving one outfit out on purpose. Since Mr. Coldstream was waiting in the living room, I changed quickly, into a black skirt, pale blue blouse, black sweater, white socks, and black Mary-janes.

After all my clothes were packed, I grabbed the ones I had changed out of and stuffed them in a plastic bag that went on top of the rest of my clothes.

The next stop was the bathroom. There, I grabbed my hair elastics, hairbrush, toothbrush, toothpaste, and ribbons.

_There,_ I thought. _That's everything._

Making my way downstairs, I couldn't help the nervous feeling I was so used to having while I walked down those stairs. Over the past few years, I was so used to seeing my mother completely drunk, stumbling everywhere as if she wasn't even conscious at the time. Although, in a way, she wasn't. I was also used to dodging everything she threw at me as I made my way out the door.

Two years of the same thing every day, and now it was hard to believe that I was actually leaving it all behind. This entire country, my life, and if the information I had read was correct, then I would even give up my name. Either way, everything was changing for me; hopefully for the better.

"You ready to go?" Mr. Coldstream asked as I walked back into the living room. I nodded, and started waking out the front door. _Looks like someone fixed it, _I noted.

When we walked back across the deck, Mary was already on her way out the door. She climbed into the driver's seat of the car, Mr. Coldstream sat in the passenger's seat, and I clambered into the back, tossing my backpack across the seat to the other side.

* * *

Forty-five minutes saw me following Mr. Coldstream onto the plane, and sitting in the seat beside the window.

"Are you nervous?" Mr. Coldstream. "There are going to be a lot of changes for you."

"I'm a bit nervous, yes," I admitted, "but I feel like these changes will be worth it for me in the long run."

He nodded, not saying anything else. I guess that he had gotten used to the fact that I talk like someone much older than only 7; two days after their birthday at that.

I hadn't actually slept much the night before, thanks to the ever-so-common nightmares that plagued my non-waking hours, so I spent pretty much the entire flight sleeping, only waking up to eat when food was brought around.


	4. Chapter III: Wammy's House

METALLIC FLOWER

Chapter III:

Wammy's House

**A.N. And we are officially into where this is obviously Death Note. I don't really have much to say at this point except thanks for all the positive feedback I've been getting. As of April 13, 2013, 11:36pm AST, this story has 7 reviews, 9 followers, 4 favourites, and 189 views. That is a _LOT_ better than I expected. This is another long chapter, so I'm starting to think they may be long like this. Okay, so, no more stalling, I have to get to the chapter. **

I stared in amazement at what I saw. Large black iron gates with a fence over a tall brick wall were the first things to meet my eyes. As we got closer, I could see the actual orphanage. It was a large, pale yellow building, and kind of resembled a church.

If this place has a lot of emphasis on religion, that'll be my only problem. Although I was baptized as a Christian when I was a few months old, I'm personally Atheist. In my mind, if there was a God, he would have helped me instead of Mr. Coldstream.

"Come on, you don't want to wear out the view already, do you?" Mr. Coldstream asked. I shook my head, and returned my view to inside the cab.

A few minutes later, we stood in front of the menacing gates of what would soon be my home.

There were a lot of children playing, and a couple noticed our presence.

"Hey, there are people here!" a girl called. She had light brown hair tied up in pigtails, and wore a pink hoodie and yellow skirt. She seemed about my age, maybe a year or two older.

"I'll go get Roger," a boy called back as he started walking back to the building. This one also seemed about the same age as me and pig-tail girl, and wore jeans and a striped t-shirt.

"Don't worry about it, I'll take them there myself," another boy said. He had messy brown hair, and wore jeans and a long sleeved dark green shirt. From my point of view, he looked about 15, maybe 16; no older than 17.

He grabbed a bar and heaved one on the heavy gates open for Mr. Coldstream and I to enter.

"Isn't there a combination pad you can type in so the gates will open automatically?" Mr. Coldstream asked.

"Yes," the boy replied, "but I don't remember the pin number. I figured it out once, but that was by luck. I don't remember what I put in, so it's just easier to pull the gates open. Now then, if you'll follow me, I'll take you to see Roger. I'm A, by the way."

Mr. Coldstream and I followed A across the yard and into the building. At this point, I was too busy focusing on the appearance of the inside of the house to pay attention to where we were going.

After a long walk (and god knows how many flights of stairs), we came to a door. This one was a lot fancier than the others. I watched as A grabbed the doorknob and turned, pushing the door open.

"Roger," he said, "guests." A then gestured for Mr. Coldstream and I to enter the room. We did, and A followed, shutting the door behind him.

An elderly man looked up from whatever he was doing, and said, "Hello. I am Roger, the caretaker at this home. What business do you have here?"

He sounded more than a little impatient, and pretty strict. Mr. Coldstream must have noticed it too, because he cut straight to the point.

"My name is Stephen Coldstream, and the girl I have with me is now, in legal aspects, an orphan. Her father left years ago, and cannot be found. Her mother was recently arrested. My wife and I are unable to take care of her ourselves, so we brought her here."

Roger's harsh look seemed to soften a bit at those words. "Of course," said. "A, take the girl outside the door and wait while Mr. Coldstream and I fill out the necessary paperwork."

A nodded and I walked back over to the door. We stepped outside, and he sat on the floor. At that moment, I noticed the edges of multiple scars poking out from under the edge of his sleeve.

"What happened to your wrist?" I asked, sitting beside him. "I'd rather not talk about it," A replied, pulling the fabric down. I nodded, and let the subject drop.

"You should know that things get pretty competitive and stressful here," A warned me after a few long moments of silence. "You see, there's this great detective, L. No one is supposed to know his identity, not what he looks like, sounds like, or even his real name. Only a couple of the orphans here have ever met him as L, and they're the top two in the rankings. No, I'm not one of them. Those two are called B and Mello."

"Where are you in the rankings?" I asked. "Fifth," A replied, "although I'm not sure how long that will last. The rankings are updated every week, and lately, B's been letting himself slip. His marks have been falling at a slow but steady rate. Chances are Mello will be in first by the end of the month."

"Who are the other people in the top 10?" I asked. A smiled a bit before continuing. "Well, B's first, Mello's second, Matt's third -although I'm pretty sure he could beat B and Mello if it wasn't with his fixation for being third-, Near's in fourth, I'm fifth, Summer and Theo are tied for sixth, Quinn's eighth, Bandit's ninth, and Linda is tenth."

I nodded, "What was that thing about Matt's 'fixation with being third'?"

"The first three children taken in here after L were myself, B, then Matt. At first, that was our order. Then, a few months later, Near showed up. He took third, and Matt put a little more effort in and took third back. But only to take third back. He still slacked off, just didn't sleep in as many classes. Then, roughly a year later, Mello showed up. He took second, pushing all of us but B down. Again, Matt only put the effort into taking back third. Never anything else. It's been like that ever since. Matt will only go for third, while the rest of us battle for first."

"And that's the competitiveness you warned me about earlier?" I guessed. A nodded, falling into silence. I assumed that he was thinking about something, so I didn't say anything else.

A few minutes, later, Mr. Coldstream opened the door again. Looking down at A and I, he said, "Roger wants to see you two again."

We stood up and walked into the room. "A, can you show Mr. Coldstream out? There is no need for him to remain here."

A nodded and left, Mr. Coldstream following him. After the door closed, Roger turned to me. "Saffron, as from what I have been told, I assume you know that every child here must use an alias, am I correct?"

I nodded, and he continued. "Well then, I consider the name 'Silver' a fitting one for you to use. What do you think of it?"

"I like it," I replied honestly. At that time, I figured it was chosen because silver is a greyish metal, and my last name is Greystone, plus it represented my right eye and it's silver iris.

Roger then began explaining how everything worked. It was a little more confusing than what A told me, but then again, A had it from the point of view of one of the orphans that live there, not from an outside point of view like Roger's.

After what seemed like an hour of me basically tuning Roger out, A came back.

"Ah, A, how nice of you to return. Can you take Silver to her room?" Roger asked. "Who's she rooming with?" he asked.

"Due to the lack of rooms available, the only option is to put her with Near for now," Roger replied. _Okay, I'm going in with number 4, _I though, following A through the house. This time, instead of going all the way downstairs, we only went down about two before walking down the hall.

"Here you go," A said, coming to a stop. "I'll let Near show you around. Just so you know, if you need me for anything, my room is the last one on the same side. If I'm not in there, I'll either be outside or in the library." I nodded, and A opened the door.

"Hey, Near," he called out, "You've got a roommate now."

A nudged me into the room before closing the door.


	5. Chapter IV: Music Lessons

METALLIC FLOWER

Chapter IV:

Music Lessons

**A.N. So, allow me to explain this chapter now. I started this right after posting the last chapter, so about 20 minutes before midnight. Being the insomniac I am, I couldn't sleep and kept writing. Basically, this is a middle-of-the-night, no-prior-sleep-within-14-to-15-hours chapter.**

I stared at the boy on the floor, who was playing with dominoes, creating complex patterns with ease and knocking them over.

That's right, I was going to be sharing a room with a boy. It was kind of weird, because girls are normally roommates with other girls. The only solution I could possibly think of, and Roger had previously implied, was that the only empty bed in this orphanage was the second one in this room.

I stood by the door for another few minutes before setting my backpack down on the bed that was on the opposite side of the room as the white-haired boy.

"I'm Near," he said suddenly, surprising me. "Sa-Silver, I'm Silver," I replied correcting myself. We had aliases for a reason, and were advised that, if we were to give out our real names, it would only be to the people we trusted the most. So far, the only one I came anywhere close to trusting was A.

Near glanced at the clock for a moment before saying, "We should get going, music lessons are going to start in 10 minutes." He stood up and started walking out of the room, I followed after him, not wanting to get lost as I knew I would have done otherwise.

We walked down yet more flights of stairs, stopping in front of a pair of white double doors. The white-haired boy pushed one open before walking in. I silently followed, as I felt I would be doing for a while.

Inside the room were about 15 others, including pig-tail girl and the boy wearing the striped shirt from earlier. The girl was over with a group of other girls, and the boy was over in a corner talking to another boy... or at least, I _think _it was another boy. They had shoulder length blonde hair, wore all black, and were eating a chocolate bar.

_I'm sorry, but aren't you supposed to __not__ eat food around this stuff? _I thought.

The boy -I'm just going to assume that, because the other girls are all around girls, and boys are all around other boys, Near and I being the only exceptions- looked over at us before shouting out, "Hey, Sheep! I can't believe you actually got someone to go within 50 feet of you without hitting you!"

Near glanced at the boy before letting out a soft sigh. "Who's that?" I asked. "That's Mello," Near replied. "Oh, A told me about him. He's second in the rankings, right?"

Near nodded, "and the other one over there with him is Matt."

Looking over from the corner of my eye, I saw Matt tell Mello something. I didn't catch what though, because a middle-aged woman walked into the room.

"Okay everyone, get to work. Today is evaluation day, since I don't have you tomorrow," she said. Near walked over to one of the violins and began practising, while I stood in the middle of the room, completely lost as to what was going on.

"You must be Silver, am I right?" the woman asked. I nodded. "Well I'm Cathy. Allow me to explain what goes on in this class. Each student is assigned an instrument that they have a talent with. After that, they learn more and more complicated songs to play on that instrument. The faster the progress they make, the higher a score they get. That score is one of the many that goes into the rankings at the end of every week."

I nodded again, and Cathy continued. "Come on, we'll start finding an instrument for you."

I followed her across the room to the grand piano that was in the back piano. "Let's start here," she said gently. I sat on the bench and looked at the keys. There was a paper that went across them, with a part that named each one.

Cathy flipped to the first song in the booklet, and instructed for me to try it.

Although I had absolutely no knowledge of what I was doing, I started using the paper as my guide, and pressing the keys at a steady rate.

"The timing was off, but you had the right keys," Cathy said. "Tell me, have you ever played piano before?" I shook my head, and she smiled. "Well then, I think we've found your instrument."

Cathy then sat beside me, telling me about the keys. "The white ones are from A to G," she started, "and the black ones are the ones in between them. Take this one, for example," she pressed one in between a G and an A key, "It could either be called G sharp, or A flat. If a key is a sharp, it is a half-step up from the letter. If it's a flat, it's a half step down."

I listened intently as she continued explaining things to me, such as which pedals did what, and how to read the sheet music.

After a while, I tried the song again, completing it perfectly. I then moved on to the next song, which only bore a slightly higher difficulty level.

Roughly a half hour later, Cathy spoke to the entire group. "Dinner is in half an hour," she said, "you may stay here and continue practising, or you may go do whatever you want until then."

I had actually wanted to stay, but Near had put his violin away and had come over to me. "Come on, I'll show you around," he said quietly. I nodded and turned around, sliding off the bench.

We started to leave, but when we got to the door, Near was pushed roughly to the side, landing on the floor. I looked up to see who pushed him, and saw none other than Mello. Matt was no where to be seen. "Why did you do that?" I asked. Mello glared at me. "The damn sheep's an arrogant little freak. That's why I did it."

"Near doesn't seem arrogant to me," I retorted. "In fact, he's been nothing but nice to me since I got here and was assigned as his roommate. If anything, you seem like the arrogant one here."

Without another word, I helped Near up, and we continued walking.

"Dude, what just happened?" I heard Matt say.

"I'm not sure," Mello replied, "but I'm pretty sure that I just got told off by the new girl. Apparently, she and the Sheep are roommates."

I couldn't help but smirk a bit, feeling like I had won that round.

_Mello: 0 Me: 1_

**A.N. If you're wondering why I chose the piano for Saffron, it's because I took four years of piano lessons, thereby have a fair bit of knowledge about how to play the piano and what not. I mean, yes, I can play other instruments as well, but it's the piano I have the most experience with, and since I'm writing this from Saffron's point of view, this would just make it easier for me. **


	6. Chapter V: Journal

METALLIC FLOWER

Chapter V:

Journal

**A.N. Don't ask about this chapter, because I don't even know. It's just a filler until I decide to move on and put in a timeskip. I can't help but feel like this has to be put in though, because it will help clarify a few things after the timeskip. Which will probably be next chapter. If not, then the chapter after that.**

After Near had shown me around, it was time for dinner. I was too busy reflecting on everything that had happened over the past couple days to really notice what I was eating.

I mean, I'm almost killed by my mother, then I get taken to the neighbour's house next door, my mother gets arrested, I move from the small Nova Scotia town to an orphanage in Winchester, England. I end up being roommates with, as Mello calls him, the "Sheep," I find out that I'm good at the piano, and I may have possibly become enemies with the second most violent child here... Yup... the next few year were definitely going to be exciting... not.

Another hour and a half saw Near and I back in our room, and my stuff unpacked and put away. After dinner, Near had decided to test me by letting me lead the way back. Surprisingly, we only got lost once, and it was only by a little bit. I went up one too many flights of stairs, which considering it's a spiral staircase, isn't that bad.

I sat on my bed in the corner of the room and watched Near build things with the blocks that were scattered on his half of the room. Oh yeah, late night bathroom breaks would be interesting. How many times will I step on one of the plastic bricks?

After a while, I found myself getting bored and starting to drift off. There was no way I would go to sleep yet though, considering it was only 7.

I had actually become used to laying awake in the dark until 2am, but I wanted to get used to going to sleep sooner. This, however, was too early.

I like to draw sometimes, but I'm not very good. Either way, I got up and pulled the swivel chair at my desk back and sat down before sliding over and going through the drawers in search of paper and a pencil.

The drawers were completely stocked. The bottom one was full of cables, extension cords, power bars, and an alarm clock. The middle was plain, coloured, copy, and heavy duty paper. The top contained lined papers, pens, pencils, index cards, sticky notes, tape, staples, a stapler, a math set, a couple rulers, a highlighter, and some page protectors.

Basically, things I would probably need for projects and homework.

The final drawer was one that, chances are, would be empty. However, when I opened it, there were some rubber bands, a roll of hockey tape, and a notebook.

_A notebook?_ I thought. _Maybe I could make a journal? I mean, it'll be private, I'll keep it in this drawer, and considering I'm sure things will be a little crazy from time to time, I doubt that anyone would think that it's real._

I nodded to myself, and decided that I would use the notebook as a journal. I pulled it out of the drawer and looked at it. It was covered in plain black leather -most likely fake- and had a silver ribbon around it. The ribbon went around and sealed with a buckle. "Kind of fancy for sticking in a 7 year old "orphan's" desk," I muttered.

"Did you say something Silver?" Near asked. He didn't look over, but I knew he had heard me.

"This notebook," I replied. "I found it in my desk, and thought it was a bit too fancy to be in the situation it's in."

"Not really," Near replied. "Everyone here has one, although the ribbon is a different color every time. Roger must have put it there for you while we were at dinner."

"What are they for?" I asked curiously.

"That's for you to decide," the boy replied.

"Okay, I'm using mine as a journal!" I exclaimed, pulling a pen out of the top drawer.

I opened the notebook and started writing.

_March 12, 2000_

_Dear Journal,_

_ Today is my first day at Wammy's. __A lot has happened recently, and honestly, I don't know where this is going. I got out of my home, moved from Bible Hill to Winchester, England, and ended up at the orphanage I did my January report on. I was right about the alias thing; mine's Silver._

_ I have a roommate, too. His name (well, alias, you know what I mean) is Near. He's really quiet, and kind of shy, but he's nice. _

_ I made another friend, too today. A was the one that showed Mr. Coldstream and I to Roger's office this morning, and explained the rankings to me. I noticed he had scars on his right wrist, but when I asked about them, he changed the subject. I wonder if it has something to do with his life before he moved here. If that's the case, then it looks like I'm not the only one with scars from their pasts._

_ I think I made an enemy too though. Mello's mean though, so I'm not too worried about it. I mean, he pushed Near for no reason, and called him a freak. Although I will admit, Near is a little weird, isn't everybody in some __way?_

_ I don't know what else to say tonight, so I'm just going to leave it off here. _

_ S.G._

Smiling to myself, I put the pen back and closed the notebook. After buckling it back up, I quietly slipped it into it's drawer and closed the drawer.

Glancing at the clock, I noticed it was roughly 8. I was feeling tired, moreso than I've felt in a while. After grabbing a set of pajamas, I went into the bathroom and got ready for bed, making sure not to step on any blocks either way.

I climbed in under the warm blankets and snuggled in, quickly falling asleep in their warm embrace.

**A.N. That. Ending. Was. A. Piece. Of. Shit. Oh well, it had to be done. Next chapter will be kind of sad, and maybe a little demented. I'm not too sure yet. All I can promise is there will be death. If you know the characters, you can probably guess what will happen.**


	7. Chapter VI: Death

METALLIC FLOWER

Chapter VI:

Death

**A.N. Here is the sad/serious chapter. Believe it or not, I cried a bit while writing this. Although my listening to the slower, sadder version of "Diary of Jane" by Breaking Benjamin and "My Immortal" by Evanescence may have a part in that.**

No one escapes death; at least not forever. That much is made certain. Also, people die before they should. It happens. Life is cruel, but we, as humans, must accept that and live through what little time we have left. And yes, it's always a small amount of time. When you think about it, 70-80 years isn't really all that long. It's nothing more than the blink of an eye to some animals.

I never understood those words that I had heard so often when I was really little; when my father was still around.

That is, until now. A month has passed since I moved to Wammy's, and I've already lost someone I care about. During my time here, I had only grown close to two people; Near, and A.

Just this morning, A was found in his room, dead; someone had slit his throat and let him bleed out on the floor of his bedroom. Also, B was gone. He left a simple goodbye note, saying nothing more than that he would find a way to surpass L.

I'll admit it, B scared me more than a little bit, and I'm pretty much indifferent about his leaving; it's what happened to A that upsets me. There was only one note he left, and oddly enough, it was addressed to me. I don't want to copy it out for you, but I guess I will.

_ Silver,_

_I know this must be hard for you, seeing as you're so young, but there was no way this could be avoided. I warned you that it would be stressful, and well, the stress has gotten to me; it's been too much to bear._

_Remember when we first talked outside Roger's office before you got your alias? When you asked me about the scars on my wrists, and I changed the subject? Well, I've decided to tell you why they're there._

_I did them to myself. I took apart a razor, and used the blade to slash open my skin. I don't know why, or how, but somehow, my sick, twisted mind took comfort in it._

_After a while though, it stopped helping. That's what got us into this situation. _

_There's a reason I'm telling you all this; I don't want you to go down the same path as me. Find other ways to deal with any stress you may have that DON'T involve self-harm. _

_I want you to live a happy life, and remember, if there's an afterlife, I'll be watching over you from there._

_ A_

When I first read the letter, I had actually broken down crying. Now, it sits in the drawer of my bedside table, a constant reminder of one of my closest friends.

It's things like that that get to me. You can hurt me all you want, I'm used to rough treatment, but when someone I care about gets hurt, I feel completely broken.

Obviously after A and B left, the rankings changed. Mello remained in second and Matt remained in third. I managed to get fourth, Summer is fifth, Theo is sixth, Quinn is seventh, Bandit's eighth, Linda is ninth, and a girl called Bunny is in tenth.

Near, he jumped up to first. I can honestly say that Mello was not impressed by that. In fact, if I didn't get in the way, my roommate would probably be in the infirmary. That was my second fight with Mello since I moved in, and after my knee met his gut, it put me in a 2 to 0 lead in our little feud.

Other than Matt and Near, A was the only person on the outside that knew about mine and Mello's battle. In fact, he's the one that taught me the basics in holding my own in a fight. I'm willing to bet I'll use those tactics again before I leave Wammy's though, seeing as I do tend to get into arguments with other people a lot.

I know that no matter how much time passes, I'll never forget A, no matter what happens. I've got to move forward though, and be happy. That's what he wanted me to do, so that's what I'll do.

**A.N. I know, no real plot importance in this chapter, but I feel like some closure is needed. I mean, I won't be mentioning A or B much, if at all, after this, and I can't just leave it with no explanation as to what happened to them. Although, if you've read Another Note, you'll already know their fates. Believe it or not, I've had this chapter planned for a while. In my opinion, this shows just how mature Silver/Saffron is for her age. With a pretty damn good reason, too. **


	8. Chapter VII: Not the Good Kind of News

METALLIC FLOWER

Chapter VII:

Not the Good Kind of News

**A.N. And here is the first of the two actual time skips in this story. Going by when this takes place, I'm going to assume you can guess where the other will be.**

Seven years had made their way through my life. I was now 14, with my 15th birthday in March. I was expecting that Roger would have made me move into a different room eventually; I mean, when you have a guy and a girl in the same room, and they're teenagers...

I'm pretty sure you get my point.

Although for some reason, Near and I were still roommates.

I still had the letter from A in my bedside table, and I had gone through three black and silver notebooks as journals.

One day, I was sitting at my desk writing as I've started doing recently, while Near was building something out of Lego. _Just like when I first met him, _I thought.

Neither of us aid a word, and apart from the sound of the plastic bricks clicking together, my pen scribbling across paper, the rustling of said paper whenever I ran out of room on that page, and our breathing, the room was completely silent...

Until someone decided to start knocking on the door. I stood up and walked over to the door and opened it. Matt seemed ready to knock again, because his hand was still raised when I opened the door.

"What do you want?" I asked, annoyed. Matt and I had gotten into an argument earlier in the day, and I still wasn't too impressed with him at the moment.

"Can you tell Near that Roger wants to see him in his office?" Matt asked. Before I had a chance to respond, Near spoke up.

"I'll be right there," he said, standing up. I backed up a bit to let him out of the room. After he left, I spoke again.

"Don't think I've forgiven you for earlier," I growled. "You do _not _go outside, bring a bunch of snow in, then stuff it down the back of my shirt without me being pissed. It just doesn't work like that."

I shut the door and walked back to my desk to finish what I was working on. Hopefully he left, but knowing that guy, he was just as likely still standing outside my door.

Half an hour later, Near walked back into the room. Instead of going back to his Lego like I expected, he sat down at his desk, pulled out his laptop, and started looking over files.

"What happened in there?" I asked. I was already curious, but the change in my roommate's behaviour made me want to know more.

"L is dead," Near said simply. To most, you wouldn't notice any change in his voice, but after sharing a bedroom with him for seven years and nine months, I'm pretty sure I've got him figured out. Or at least as close to figured out as it's possible to get.

Either way, I could hear how upset he sounded. I don't blame him though. He really looked up to L, and to find out that he was killed (99.99% chance Kira did it) would really hit pretty damn hard. Probably worse than I was hit when A died. I mean, I only knew him for a month, Near has looked up to L for years.

"What are you going to do?" I asked. I was fully aware that Near was first in line as L's successor, with Mello close behind. I knew that both of them would jump into the case and start trying to figure out Kira's identity and apprehend the murderer. Like I said, spend seven years around people, and I've pretty much got them figured out.

"I'm going to stay here and work on this case from here outside of classes," Near explained. "Mello is leaving, and I won't be surprised if Matt ends up leaving with him."

_So Mello was there too,_ I thought, _and he's leaving Wammy's? Where will he go? Oh shit, what about our little duel. I mean, we're tied 138 to 138, so how are we going to settle who wins?_

I decided against voicing my thoughts, and simply nodded instead. I mean, what am I supposed to say? Besides, my brain decided that my mouth didn't exist, and stopped trying to form words.

Things were changing rapidly, and I don't know how things are going to end up.

Who will die?

Who will live?

Who will win?

Who will lose?

Questions were spinning around in my head, and I had to figure out a solution fast. There wasn't much else I could do, other than do my part from the sidelines.

But... What was my part? Did I even _have _one?

Who am I kidding? As a resident of Wammy's House for Extraordinary Children, of course I have a role in stopping Kira. We all do. Although, chances are that not many will step up and take those roles. The others around here may act tough, but in reality, they're all wimps who don't want to put themselves in any form of danger.

I sighed, closing the cheap notebook that served to contain my most recent story. There was no way I would be able to keep working on it now. There was just too much going through my head.

At that moment, a fit of coughs racked my body, making it difficult to breath. When they passed, I found myself gasping to catch my breath.

_What the hell? Am I really that out of shape? _I questioned myself.

My chair was spun around, and Near was right there, his face only a couple feet away from mine. Before I had a chance to register what was going on, he placed his hand on my forehead.

"You have a slight fever," he stated. "How much have you been pushing yourself lately?"

"Probably about twice as hard as usual," I admitted. "I mean, the end of year finals are coming up in a couple days, and I know they don't count for much on the rankings, but I feel like I need the extra points this year."

"Go to bed," Near told me, completely serious.

"But what about afternoon classes?"

"I'll tell the teachers you aren't feeling well."

"I'm fine!"

"You have a fever, and a major coughing fit. I doubt you're fine."

I continued trying to protest, but it was pretty much useless. I took my laptop, plugged it in by my bed, took a shower and changed into my pajamas, then went to bed.

Like hell I was going to sleep though anytime soon.


	9. Chapter VIII: Final Tests

METALLIC FLOWER

Chapter VIII:

Final Tests

**A.N. So, I actually have a goal for finishing this story. Unless I get extremely sidetracked, this story will by finished by May 4, 2013 at the latest. So without further ado, I will continue with the story. And by that, I mean this extremely short, bullshit chapter.**

A couple days later, and I was working my ass off to try and finish the tests on time. Was it just me, or have they seriously just upped everything up 50 difficulty levels? It's like, normally these tests are like the first things you have to fight, but now they're like the final boss.

Shit, I've been spending too much time around Matt; his video game analogy-making has started rubbing off on me. Funny, because I haven't spoken a word to him in a while.

It felt weird in this room. Everyone sat in their usual seat, but there was one that was empty that usually held a short-tempered blonde. Mello had apparently left the orphanage the night he found out L was killed, and no one -not even Matt- had heard from him since.

I kind of feel sorry for Matt though. He and Mello were best friends, brothers in a way, and Mello just up and left without telling anyone. Although, I honestly thought Matt would have left too. I won't deny how strange it felt, but I forced myself to keep working on answering the questions in front of me.

When the time limit was up, I passed my sheets in and left.

Deciding I needed some fresh air, I stepped outside onto the front doorstep in just my jeans, sneakers, and t-shirt. It was cold, but I promised myself it would only be for a minute at most.

A few seconds later, the cold felt like it was too much for me, so I turned around and walked back inside.

As I walked back up the now ever familiar spiral stairs, I found myself wondering what it would be like to slide down the railing. As well as how much shit I would get in if I was caught, which, chances are, I would.

After a while, I pushed open the cream white door that led to mine and Near's room. As I expected, he was building something. This time it was dominoes, instead of the usual blocks or dice.

Not like it matters. He'll stack anything if it's possible, that's just how he is.

As I spent more time here, I started realized just how strange the albino really was. I still remembered Mello pushing him over and calling him a freak on my first day here, and how my reaction had caused our little war. However, I still stand by what I said then; Near may be strange, but he's not a freak.

If there's anyone I've met that could qualify as a freak, it would be B, no doubt about it, whatsoever.

I sighed, flopping down onto my bed. "I really do hate those tests," I muttered, rolling onto my back. Groaning, I sat up and slipped my sneakers off before laying back down.

"What are you doing?" Near asked.

"Taking a goddamn nap, what's it look like I'm doing?" I asked. Honestly, how could someone not figure that out? When I lay in my bed and I'm not sick, chances are that I'm planning on sleeping.

Although, this time, I wasn't actually planning on falling asleep... I just _did._


	10. Chapter IX: Found Him

METALLIC FLOWER

Chapter IX:

Found Him

**A.N. What do you know, I can actually plan my writing. I planned out this and chapters 10-13. No idea how many chapters there will be after that, but there will be at least 14 chapters plus the prologue overall. Oh yeah, by the way, this is right after the next timeskip. This one is the same timeskip as the on in the series.**

I guess I should fast forward another four years, since nothing interesting happened, other than my managing second place after Mello left.

Matt, Near and I had stayed until we were 17 (well, 16 in Near's case), and then left. We ended up in New York, where Near ended up creating this agency... just to catch Kira. I'd say that's going a bit to the extreme, but hell, since the government outright _refuses _to go against Kira, there's not much else we can do.

There's still no sign of Mello whatsoever. Near told us not to worry, but I can tell he's curious as to what happened to the blonde as well. Matt's worried about Mello possibly being dead, and he doesn't even try to hide it. I try to tell him that Mello's probably just in hiding, conducting his own investigation into the Kira case, but honestly, for all we know, Mello _could_ have been killed.

And it wouldn't have had to be Kira that did it. His temper could have gotten him into a fight with someone that he really shouldn't have been picking a fight with, or he could have frozen to death one night.

Either way, for us, he had pretty much vanished off the face of the earth.

"Hey guys, did you already hear about this?" I asked. "Apparently a minor gang in LA has been taking more than it's share of power lately."

"Check it out. For all we know, Kira could be there, helping them out some way," Matt said, not taking his eyes off his DS.

Nodding, I started digging around some. "Okay, so from what I can find here, the gang has recently acquired a new leader. This new leader has managed to kill a rival mob boss that even Kira couldn't catch," I told them. "Which means we should really be keeping an eye on these guys."

"Who's the leader?" Near asked.

"I don't know yet. I thought I would tell you guys what I found out so far before I forget the details later."

I started searching some more, and managed to find a file with the names and photos of everyone in that gang. I sighed. Honestly, who would be stupid enough to go and do something that fucking stupid?

However, when I started to try and access the file, I found it actually be difficult; too difficult for me anyway.

"Fuck," I muttered, "Matt!"

"What do you want?" he asked, looking over my shoulder.

"I found a file with the names and pictures of everyone in that gang, but I can't access it. You're a hell of a lot better at hacking than I am, so I need you to do it. But I want to see first."

He agreed, and I moved my chair back to give him some space. After less that 10 minutes, he had the file downloaded and everything. All I had to do was open it.

I did, and when I looked at who the leader was, I was greeted with a familiar face.

"Holy _SHIT!" _I exclaimed. "Matt, you don't have to worry about Mello being dead anymore."

"Why?"

"_He's _that gang leader I was talking about earlier!"

"What!?" Matt rushed over and looked over the back of my chair to see the screen of my laptop. There was a picture of our hot-tempered blonde, with the name "Mello Keehl." It didn't surprise me at all that he was still using his alias. I mean, no matter what, it wouldn't take much digging around on Kira's part to find out about Wammy's House, and once you know that much, it wouldn't be that hard to find out Mello lived there. And since some of the many that have had Kira's power don't need a name, just having your _picture _online could be pretty damn risky.

"It looks like someone had to sneak the photo of him," I noted.

"Doesn't surprise me if they did," Matt replied. "I mean, Mels never _has_ enjoyed having his picture taken, and if there's another with the Second Kira's ability..."

"It could get him killed," Near finished.

"Anyway, we know that he's in LA now, right?" Matt asked. I nodded. "Looks like I'm going to LA then," he said. Without another word, he just walked.

Right.

Out.

Of.

The.

Room.

He just ditched us to go find Mello. I guess that, if anything, this just confirms that there was something going on between them.

It would be a lot more interesting if I knew, but I know when I should stay out of people's personal lives.

**A.N. Damn, another short chapter. Maybe I shouldn't be planning these out. Oh well. There will be a nice little confrontation next chapter between Silver and a certain somebody.**


	11. Chapter X: Reunited

METALLIC FLOWER

Chapter X:

Reunited

**A.N. Just, so you know, I am NOT introducing a new OC this chapter. He was mentioned in the prologue. **

I was sitting in my chair as usual, my back to the world, as I kept at my work. It was boring without Matt around, I'll admit it, but I'll just have to adjust. What I really need until then is something to keep my mind from wandering. My mind has decided that it should start having all those thoughts that it never had years before, and I wanted nothing more than something to distract me from them.

Suddenly, Gevanni's voice came through the PA. "Near, there is a man here claiming to have information about Kira. He says his name is Xavier Greystone."

"Bring him up," Near replied. "Silver can confirm his identity when he gets here."

I froze. _What's he doing here? _I thought. _He always liked to hide from things that caused him trouble, and honestly, Kira is nothing BUT trouble._

After a while, I heard the door open. I turned around, and saw the person I last wanted to see.

"Silver, are you able to confirm this man's identity as Xavier Greystone?" Near asked.

"No need," I replied. "It may have been 13 years ago, but I can still recognize my own father."

"Sa-" he started, but interrupted him. "Don't call me that," I said. "My name is Silver now. I gave up my name, life, and everything else years ago."

"Please daughter, I have been searching for you for years," he said. "Why is it that once I find you, you refuse to accept me back into your life. I know I was a horrible father-"

"No shit you were a horrible father!" I exclaimed. "You fucking _left _just because I was smarter than every other student at my goddamn school! I can't say I _hate_ you, but I definitely think of you as nothing more than a coward, and I don't want to be involved with a coward on any level."

Without another word, I walked outside the room to blow of some steam. Trust me, I needed to. If I didn't there was no telling what I would do. I don't always like to admit it, and I try to hide it, but I _did _inherit a short temper. I'm not sure who it was from, but it's there. Thankfully I didn't inherit the inferiority complex too.

After I left, I could hear Near say something. Probably asking what his information about Kira was. I continued on my way down the hall to the elevators, and went all the way downstairs. It was a nice day, but thanks to the fact we have to hide our identity's, I couldn't go out for a walk.

Instead, I decided to wait until my father (it feels strange and somewhat fake calling him that) leaves, and I'll know just when that will be. Hell, I'm standing by the front doors, so I'll _see_ him leave.

After what seemed like an hour (10 minutes according to the clock), the coward walked out of the elevator and towards the door. However, he just _had _to stop and talk to me first.

"You were such a happy child," he said. "What happened? When did you become so cold?"

"Maybe you should ask Mom," I retorted. "Oh wait, you can't, because she was arrested for child abuse and later killed by Kira."

I glared at him again before walking back to the elevator.

As the metal box moved up again, I started thinking. _When did I become so cold? Was that even actually ME talking to him, or do I have some sort of split personality? No, of course I don't. I'm just really pissed off at him, because if he hadn't have left, Mom wouldn't have started abusing me. __I would be a normal girl finishing up her senior year of high school, not... this. Besides, if I had a split personality, wouldn't it be obvious before today?_

The soft 'ding' of the elevator brought me out of my thoughts.

My steps slowed and quieted as I calmed down. By the time I re-entered the observation room, I was completely calm.

After sitting down again, I spoke up. "What did you get for information?" I asked, glancing over.

"Nothing we didn't already know," Near replied. "He said that Kira is likely somewhere in Japan, and is using some supernatural means of killing."

"Yeah, no shit," I replied. "_We _didn't even have to figure that much out. Those two facts were already figured out and included in what we received for starting information. He always has been pretty damn unreliable for stuff."

"Just out of curiosity, how old were you when he left?"

"Five," I replied. "He was intimidated by the fact I was the smartest student out of five grade levels when I was still only in the first year, so he left. Believe it or not, he's got an inferiority complex worse than Mello's. So did my mother as well, but that's kind of beside the point."

"That would explain why you were able to put up with Mello so well then," Near commented. "You were used to being around someone acting like that."

I nodded. "It actually made the transition easier, because at least there was some consistency."

I turned back to my laptop and went back to work. There wasn't much to do today, so I finished up fairly early. Just as I was finishing up, Rester walked into the room. He took one look at Near playing darts and sighed.

"I'm not even going to bother trying to get you to go back to your work," he muttered, leaving again.

I smirked. "You know, you really should do something once in a while instead of making me deal with all the paper work," I commented.

Silently, I snuck up behind Near and took a dark green dart from the area of the floor behind him.

After taking a couple seconds to aim, I pulled the dart back and threw it. It soared through the air to embed itself right in the centre of the bulls eye.

"Sheer luck on your part," Near said.

"Probably," I replied, laughing. "I mean, have you _seen _my aim when I through things? There's a reason why I'd always sit out of dodgeball. I couldn't throw something and hit my target to save my life."

After a couple games of darts (I lost both times, no surprise), I ended up going to bed. I don't know why, but I had this really bad feeling. Like something really bad was going to happen soon. I don't know what, or exactly when, just that _something _will happen that will have a huge impact on either my life, the Kira case, or both. Either way, I didn't want it to happen.

But, how are you supposed to prevent something when you don't know what it is?

**A.N. There, she's met her father again, and things do not change between them. Honestly though, I don't know what was going through my head when I planned this chapter. Oh well, the chapter is done, and that's all that matters. Now then, you should recognize the scene in the next chapter. I'll give you a hint; it involves a blonde. If you know or think you know, leave your guess in the form of a review.**


	12. Chapter XI: Picture

METALLIC FLOWER

Chapter XI:

Picture

**A.N. I'm sorry about the late update. Between my parents dragging me out to the movies Friday night, and being at the Atlantic Horse Fair all day yesterday, I haven't had time to work on this. But to make up for it, this is going to be a longer chapter.**

A week had passed since my coward of a father had made his reappearance, but no matter how much I tried to forget, his final words stuck in my head.

"When had you become so cold?"

Not once had I actually considered myself a cold person. Especially after spending so much time around Near. Maybe he was just rubbing off on me a bit?

No, I doubt that. It was probably just a reaction to the bastard that abandoned me, thereby destroying all I had hoped to have.

I was brought back to reality by something different on one of the screens I was supposed to be monitoring. Lidner walked in like usual, but someone was holding a gun at the back of her head. That person wore a dark red coat. They had their hood up, and I couldn't see their face through the black fur that lined the hood. Although, from what I could tell, the person was most likely male.

As I managed to catch a glimpse of their face on another camera, I noticed who it was.

"Near," I said. "Mello will be here in a couple minutes. Most likely to get his photo back.

"Okay," Near said. Other than that, he showed no signs of awareness to the situation. However, knowing him as well as I did, I knew that he was planning out the exchange in his head.

I had a general idea of what would happen too; Near would make a comment that would set Mello off. The blonde would aim his gun at Near, which would lead to Rester and Gevanni aiming their guns at him in turn. Near would make another comment, and Mello would then turn around and leave.

Next thing I knew, the door slid open, and there was Mello.

"Welcome Mello," Near said, his back still facing the blonde. I remained sitting in my usual corner, observing the scene from a distance.

"Drop your weapon," Rester told him. He and Gevanni already had their guns aimed at Mello, sooner than I had originally expected. Mello grunted, but didn't move the gun.

"Everyone, please put away your guns," Near sighed. "Having a shoot-out here would achieve nothing."

"Sir, with all due respect, Mello's the one who killed our partners," Gevanni reminded.

"Please don't make me say it again. Remember that our primary objective is still to catch Kira. Killing Mello right now would do nothing to benefit our investigation."

"All right," Rester replied. I watched silently as he lowered his gun, as did Gevanni.

Mello also put his gun away, then lowered his hood. I could clearly see the scar that covered the left side of his face around his eye. From what I could tell, it looked like a burn scar. A recent one too, it couldn't have been there more than a month.

When the hell did he do whatever he did to get that?

I still refused to say anything, opting to listen to the exchange between the two.

"It looks like everything is going just as you planned, Near."

"Yes. I take it you've already heard all about the second L from Lidner by now? I've pretty much figured out who Kira is, and it's mostly thanks to everything you've done."

_There's that first comment, _I thought. Mello glared and pulled out his gun again, aiming it at Near. Rester and Gevanni pulled their guns out and I gripped mine as well.

Like hell I would actually shoot, but still, if Mello thought there was a chance I might, he may reconsider. I doubt he would actually care, but it was worth a try.

"Shut up Near! I'm not just a tool for you to use in order to solve your puzzles, you know!"

"Mello, if you really want to shoot me, then go ahead and do it," Near replied, showing no signs of even hearing what Mello said.

The blonde narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on the gun. I pulled mine out and aimed it at his hand. If I really did have a shoot, it would only be to stop, not kill.

However, it didn't look like I would have to do anything.

Lidner stood in between the two, pushing Mello's arm aside.

"Stop," she warned. "If you shoot him, then the rest of us will have no choice but to shoot you too. What will it solve if both of you die? That's just what Kira wants."

Mello growled, then put his gun back. "You have a good point," he said. "Anyway, I'm only here for one thing. I came to take back that photograph you have."

"Of course. I got it from the orphanage. There was only one, and no copies were made. I've already gone ahead and dealt with anyone who knows your face inside and outside of Wammy's House; they'll keep quiet."

Near tossed the picture, and by some stroke of luck, it flew the same way a paper air plane flies. Mello caught it easily.

A couple moments passed before Near spoke again. "I can't say for a high percent for certain, but it shouldn't be possible for you to be killed by the notebook. Is that the only business you had with me, Mello?"

Mello growled. "Near. Let's get one thing straight; I have no intention of working together with you on this."

"Yes, I know."

"At the same time, I can't just take my photo and leave with it, so I'll settle my debt. The killer notebook belongs to a shinigami. Whoever touches it will be able to see a god of death."

"That's crazy," Rester said.

"Who the hell would believe that?" Gevanni asked.

"I would," Near replied. "I believe him completely. What good would it do for him to tell an outrageous lie like that? Even if he had something to gain, he could have at least come up with a more believable story. Therefor, these gods of death must exist."

"The notebook I obtained," Mello continued, "had previously belonged to another shinigami; perhaps even Kira himself. Also, some of the rules written inside are actually fake. That's all I can tell you for now."

Mello turned around and started walking away. On the way out, he passed a certain dark-haired man. One that I _really _didn't want to see.

"What the fucking hell are you doing back here?" I growled. Obviously, we didn't see him on camera, because everyone in this room was more focused on what was going on between Near and Mello.

"I want to ask you again-"

"I said no last time, and I stand by that!" I shouted. At that moment, I was _furious_. "I said it before, and I'll say it again; I want _nothing _to do with you! You just up and left for no good reason, and because of that, the next few years of my life were a living hell!"

"How bad could they have been?"

I took a couple breaths to steady myself before closing my eyes. I pulled the hair that was covering my right eye away and tucked it behind my ear. As I opened my eyes again, I said, "This. Every day, Mom abused me. She beat me, pushed me down the stairs, even tried burning a crescent moon into my left shoulder blade the day before I left the country! I still have the scar from that, which taunts me every damn time I see it. My eye taunts me too; whenever I see my reflection. The memories haunt me whenever I sleep, and it's all your god damn fucking fault!"

Next thing I knew, I was standing about a foot away from my chair. My gun was drawn and aimed at his head. At some point, Mello had walked over behind me, and quickly grabbed the gun out of my hand.

I wasn't thinking clearly, and reacted on instinct when I rammed my elbow into the blonde's gut.

"Silver, you should calm down before you do something you'll regret," Near warned.

"Shut up!" I exclaimed. "Just shut the hell up, Near!"

Without another word, I started running. My feet carried me to my room, where I jumped onto my bed and buried my face in my pillow.

The realization of what I had done settled on me. I had aimed a gun at and was about to shoot my father, elbowed a guy who could probably kick my ass in a proper fight, and told Near to shut up.

Right after he warned me to not do something I regret, I went and did the one thing I regret doing. Out of _anything _I could have done, it had to be that.

_At least I only yelled, _I thought. _I mean, it could have been worse. It could have been a lot worse._

I waited a couple hours before leaving my room. After making sure I was completely calm again, I made my way back to the observation room. It was empty, except for Near.

As silently as possible, I walked over to stand behind Near. As I went to sit down on the floor, a loud crunch from my knees gave me away. The albino turned his head slightly, looking at me from the corner of one eye.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, pulling him into a hug. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. I was just really upset, and I wasn't thinking clearly. Can you forgive me?"

He nodded, and yet again, I did something that I really don't know why I did it. Actually, for this, I _do_ know, but I was planning on keeping those feelings a secret for a while longer.

I planted a soft, quick kiss on Near's cheek, before pulling away. I was mentally cursing myself for doing that, but at the same time, I was glad I did it.

**A.N. Well there. I think that we now know a bit more about how Silver feels about Near. So, how do you think he'll react? I already know, but I want to know what you guy think.**


	13. Chapter XII: Moments Like These

METALLIC FLOWER

Chapter XII:

Moments Like These

**A.N. I'M SO SORRY ABOUT NOT UPDATING YESTERDAY! School's been a bitch lately... well, more like my classmates are just being bigger and bigger assholes. Yet, despite the pain I am currently in (someone stepped on my leg while I was at my locker during lunch), I have an update for you all! I'm sorry if this is a piece of shit, because I wrote it in Math class yesterday (I never got around to typing it yesterday because I had a lot more homework than usual thanks to my dumbass classmates who can't shut the fucking hell up). Okay, rant's over, back to the story!**

The shock was evident on Near's face, as if he wasn't even trying to hide it. I don't blame him for the failure though. I mean, if someone basically gives you a random kiss, you'd be too surprised to be able to keep up an emotionless mask too, wouldn't you?

He didn't say anything; I could tell he was still trying to process what the hell was going on.

Unwilling to break the silence, not to mention having no idea what to say, I looked down at the floor. There wasn't a doubt in my mind about the fact that I was blushing; I could feel the extra heat around my cheeks.

After a few moments of silence, Near spoke up.

"Why?" he asked. "Why did you kiss me?"

"Well, I really like you," I admitted shyly. "I have since a few days after I met you. Mind you they've been kind of on and off since then. Although after a while, I thought that they were either gone for good or I had unknowingly pushed them aside in favour of helping you with this case."

I placed another kiss on his cheek before continuing. "I'm certain they were just pushed back though, now. I had thought they were gone for good, but with the way they just bubbled up and resurfaced like that, there was no way they could have been gone."

Near paused, either taking in my little speech, or figuring out a gentle way to let me down. I don't want to admit it, but the latter seemed more likely.

"I feel the same way about you," the albino told me. "That much became obvious when things had calmed back down after Mello left Wammy's

House."

This time, it was my turn to try and process everything.

When I finally opened my mouth to say something, I had missed my opportunity because someone decided to walk into the room.

"Near, there's more paperwork for you to deal with," Rester said, setting a pile of papers down in front of us. He didn't question why I was sitting so close to Near (my usual spot is almost on the other side of the room), and honestly, I'm glad he kept quiet, because it would be kind of awkward to explain.

As Near looked over and read the papers, I leaned against him, my head resting on his shoulder.

I tried to pay attention to what was on the papers, but my mind was everything _but _in work mode.

_It's moments like these that make life really worth living for, _I thought.

At moment, everything felt peaceful and... right... in the world. Not like Near and I could be killed at any second in our war against Kira.

**A.N. So there, I finally managed to get a bit of fluff in. That is what happens when I finish a test well before everyone else: fluff. Anyway, I'm just gonna leave this here and go on to the next chapter!**

**See you there!**


	14. Chapter XIII: Secret

METALLIC FLOWER

Chapter XIII:

Secret

**A.N. I'm so sorry I didn't update yesterday! I had a 4-H meeting so I didn't have much time to work on this. Maybe a bit more fluff this chapter. After this, there will probably be 3-4 more chapters, then the epilogue. Yes I know, this story is almost over, and it upsets me. However, I'm got another 11 stories planned. Well, ideas written down, anyway. Either way, I've got quite a bit of writing to keep me occupied. Now then, on with the story.**

Near and I decided that it would be best if we keep our new relationship secret. I mean, if this second L ever found out, and we're right and he _is _Kira, then that could easily be used against us.

Not to mention what Mello would do. I wouldn't put it past him to kidnap me just to get something from Near. It's obvious that I wouldn't stand a chance in an actual fight against Mello, seeing as that's where his victories in our mini-war are from; mine are from saying something that he can't think of a comeback for.

It was surprisingly easy keeping "us" a secret. I mean, pretend there's nothing going on most of the day, and then when there's no one else in the room except us, then we'll just sit on the floor and do whatever... get your goddamn mind out of the fucking gutter, asshole. If someone walks in, then we just say I was helping Near out with something, and that it was easier when I could point stuff out.

Seem simple enough, and believable too, right?

Yeah, we both thought so too... it seems Lidner is better at picking up on romance stuff than we originally thought, seeing as the secret only lasted a month.

"...And then he'll write our names down, but it'll be in the fake notebook. The name that _isn't _written down will be Kira's. At that point, when none of us die, then Kira will start to freak out, wondering why we're still alive. Then you'll go off on your dramatic little speech, and things will snowball from there," I said.

"It's not some "dramatic little speech," thank you very much," Near replied.

"Yes it is," I retorted. "Look at it from someone else's point of view, and it is a very dramatic little speech."

Before he had a chance to try and make a comeback, I brushed my lips against his cheek, to distract him if nothing more.

"Am I inturrupting something?" an amused voice asked. We both looked over to see Lidner standing by the door.

I couldn't help but look away, trying to keep her from seeing the blush that was quickly forming.

_Yes, you are inturrupting, _I thought. _Come on Near, tell her she's inturrupting and ask her to leave. Please? For me?_

"No, you weren't interrupting anything," he said. _Damn it!_

"Okay. I just came to bring these up to you," she placed a small-ish pile of papers in front of us then left.

"How difficult is it supposed to be to keep secrets around here?" I joked.

"Not that difficult," he replied. "You just had bad timing."

"Fuck you," I laughed, gently shoving him a bit.

Near mumbled something, but I couldn't make out the words.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

"Yeah, I'm sure it was just nothing," I said sarcastically. Either way, I let the matter drop.


	15. Ch XIV: Packing, Memories, and the Name

METALLIC FLOWER

Chapter XIV:

Packing, Memories, and the Name

**A.N. I don't really know what to say in this chapter, other than the fact that the two chapters after this will take place during canon events, and the second event is being re-written. Yay for re-writing important moments in the series!**

"Silver, I suggest you start packing," Near said suddenly.

"Huh? Why?"

"We're going to Japan tomorrow."

"But the meeting with the Task Force slash Kira Confrontation is still almost two weeks away.

"I'm aware of that," he replied, "but it would be better if we got there sooner. That way-"

"We have more time to get everything planned out?" I guessed.

"Exactly."

"See! I am good at figuring people out! Hell, I've got you pretty much figured out by now."

"You really think so?"

"No, I don't think I've got you figured out," I replied, "I _know _I've got you figured out."

"I'll let you believe whatever you want to believe," he said, returning to the action figures on the floor.

Sighing, I stood up.

"Gevanni, I'm leaving the monitoring to you," I said, walking out of the room. "Let me know if something comes up."

Without giving him a chance to reply, I left. There was an eerie silence in the plain grey walls; one that I tried my best to ignore but couldn't. I had this _feeling _that something bad was going to happen while we were in Japan.

However, I didn't know what it was, or exactly when it would happen. There wasn't any way for me to talk Near into staying here and cancelling the confrontation, either. The plans had been made, and we had no choice but to go through with them; if we didn't, then Kira would have ultimate power, and we could easily be overpowered. It wasn't worth the risk... nothing was.

I was snapped out of my thoughts as I came to a stop in front of my bedroom door. I pushed the door open and walked inside.

_Okay... two weeks in Japan, in the middle of January, _I thought, planning what to pack. Going into my closet, I grabbed my suitcase and flopped it onto my bed, open and ready for me to start putting stuff in.

Walking over to my personal laptop, I opened the lid and pressed the space bar to wake it up. Quickly, I typed in my ever-shitty password followed by the enter button. My music player was already open, so all I had to do was press play.

Music began playing through the speakers on either side of my laptop. I turned the dial a bit to make the music a little bit louder.

Unconsciously, I began humming along as I went through all the clothing I owned.

Unable to decide what to take and what to leave, I decided I'd just pack as much as I could fit into the suitcase; my laptop and other electronics can go in my backpack, and my guitar -if I decide to take it- will be going in it's case.

An hour later, I had everything packed up and was currently trying to close my suitcase. I was sitting on top of it, trying to pull the zipper around. Of course, the damn thing _had _to be jammed.

Giving one last final pull, I ended up losing my balance, landing in a heap on the floor.

"Son of a motherfucking whore," I muttered sitting up. My right hip and shoulder hurt like a bitch, and frankly, there wasn't anything I could do about it. My first-aid skills are pretty much non-existent (I can put a band-aid on a minor cut and put a small burn under cold running water when it's available, but that's about it), and there was no way in hell I was going to ask for help; I didn't need the others knowing I feel off my bed trying to zipper my suitcase.

I glared at the red and black canvas container before standing up. I winced at the throbbing pain in my hip and shoulder, but otherwise ignored it. I had dealt with worse, I'd be fine. I could tell I didn't break any bones.

My mind instantly wandered back to my right eye and the scar adorning my left shoulder blade. Or maybe just those times. I remember being so confused, and feeling alone. I couldn't really trust anyone for a while even after getting to Wammy's (A was the exception).

At that time, I was hurt, confused, alone, and untrusting. I sometimes wonder is that's what Mom had wanted me to be like. If that was the case, I sure was a different person now. I had managed to move on from my torturous past and be my own person. If it wasn't for the reminder whenever I looked in the mirror and the memories haunting me in my sleep, I wouldn't believe that I had gone through all that; that it was nothing more than a bad dream.

I knew that such a thing was too good to be true, though. The nightmares were real, and they always would be.

After a while, I managed to get the zipper unjammed, and the suitcase zippered up.

This huge sense of pride and accomplishment swelled up inside me. Like that one you get after scoring a three-pointer in basketball, getting that winning goal, causing someone to go broke in Monopoly, or hitting the best player on the other team in dodgeball. Althouth, zippering up my suitcase was not near as impressive... or important.

"I'm not gonna write you a love song," I hummed, "cause you asked for it."

Grabbing my suitcase, I pulled it off my bed and stood it in the corner by my door. With my bed clear, I fell down onto the navy sheets and stared at the ceiling. There wasn't anything there, but I didn't have anything better to do, and I needed something to do.

After a while, I got up, went over to my desk and sat down. Reaching into the top drawer, I fished out the most current of my journals and opened it up. The thing was only about a quarter full, so I still had a couple months to go before I'd need to worry about getting another one.

Grabbing I pen, I started to write.

_Dear Journal,_

_How has everything been going lately?_

_You know how yesterday I said it'd be about a week and a half before we went to Japan? Yeah, turns out I was wrong._

_Near wants to leave tomorrow._

_I've got this really bad feeling that something is going to happen during the time we're in Japan. There's nothing I can do about it though, because I don't know what that thing is, or exactly when it will happen. _

_I feel completely helpless, and I hate it._

_Okay, onto better terms; I've got to stop focusing on what's troubling me._

_Tonight, I'm planning on telling Near my real name. I don't know if he'll tell me his, but that doesn't matter to me. I really do love him, and I trust him. It feels weird keeping that one huge secret from him, and I feel like I can't keep that fact a complete secret anymore._

_S.G._

I smiled to myself, closing the notebook. Now that I wrote my plan down, there was no way I could go back on it. That just wasn't something I would do.

After a few minutes, I went over to my laptop and paused the music before leaving my bedroom. Quietly, I walked through the ever-familiar halls, repeating the words "I can't keep this a secret any longer" in my head. I would tell him, and that was that.

When I got back to the observation room, it was completely deserted, save for the albino sitting in the middle of the floor.

Why was it that no one else was ever in the room when I needed to talk to him?

Shrugging, I walked over and sat beside him.

"Hello Silver," he said calmly, still looking at the screens on the wall opposite the door.

"Hi," I replied, planting the usual gentle kiss on his cheek. I paused as I pulled away, my mouth only inches from his ear.

"Saffron Greystone," I whispered.

**A.N. I know, I'm evil, I don't even try to deny it. Although, by doing this, the story will last another chapter. I've got the exact number figured out though now! After this, there will be three more chapter, plus the epilogue.**


	16. Chapter XV: Reaction

METALLIC FLOWER

Chapter XV:

Reaction

**A.N. Here's chapter 15! No sadness this chapter, don't worry... (SPOILER: that'll be next chapter.) Okay, spoiler over. Oh yeah, who thinks that they know the song in the last chapter? Review with your guess. Either way, I'll announce the answer next chapter. **

Once again, I have managed to surprise Near. And honestly, I was feeling pretty damn proud about that fact.

"My real name," I added, "Saffron Greystone is my real name."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I trust you," I replied, "and I couldn't handle keeping it a secret from you anymore. I needed to tell you."

He remained silent. "It's okay if you don't want to tell me yours," I said. "I'm not going to make you if you don't feel comfortable telling me right now. I don't mind waiting for the one I love."

The next thing I knew was what really caught me off guard. Normally, I was the one showing all the affection, but Near pulled me into a hug. He was stronger than I expected, but I barely noticed. I hugged back without hesitation.

_Someone's probably going to bust in right about now, _I thought. _There's always going to be someone inturrupting perfect moments in the SPK, that much is certain. _

As soon as he initiated the embrace, Near let go and pulled back. I couldn't help but giggle a bit at the light blush that dusted his cheeks. He really was adorable, he just doesn't notice it.

As I expected, there was soon a knock at the door. It was faint, barely noticeable, and there was no time for me to go to my chair.

"Do I want to know?" Gevanni asked. Neither Near nor I said a word. The older man sighed, going over to his spot to watch the cameras once more.

I knew I wouldn't be able to do anything with someone else in the room, so I stood up and went over to my chair to resume my work, silently cursing Gevanni.

For a few hours I worked silently. Until I started feeling tired. My vision kept switching between blurry and normal, and my eyelids felt unnaturally heavy.

"See you guys tomorrow," I said, standing up. There was no response. I kept walking silently through the room, avoiding the colourful lego blocks that scattered the floor.

When the door closed behind me, I let out a yawn that I had been struggling to hold back. I made my way back to my bedroom for the only thing I needed at the moment; my goddamn sleep.

Trust me, when I don't get enough sleep, I'm more violent and swear more than Mello. I even went so far as to throw a knife at Matt's head after staying up three nights in a row to study for the end of year tests at Wammy's once.

He never tried to wake me up again. Ever.

When I got into by bedroom, I tugged my shirt over my head and tossed it somewhere. I slipped my flats off, then my jeans followed my shirt.

Finally, I crawled in between the sheets. It was fucking _freezing _though. It was impossible for me to hold back the shivers that wracked my body for a few seconds.

Once they were over, I curled up in the fetal position. Only then was I actually able to fall asleep.

**A.N. Okay, I hate the ending for this chapter. Before you say anything, I know this is a short chapter, but there wasn't much for me to actually include in this. I just wanted to make you guys wait a bit before finding out what Near's reaction to Silver telling him her real name would be. As I said last time, I know I'm evil. I will make no effort to fix that though, because then I wouldn't be me.**


	17. Chapter XVI: Chase

METALLIC FLOWER

Chapter XVI:

Chase

**A.N. Second-last chapter already. Damn that makes me feel sad. This story is almost over. Oh yeah, if you haven't already, can you please leave suggestions for ways I could improve my writing? It's not just a hobby for me. I want to make a career out of it, so I should be the best I can possibly be.**

The day was January 26, 2013. I think I finally knew what that bad feeling was about.

Near and I were sitting on my bed in our hotel room, watching the news. The weather report was interrupted by something about a chase.

There were about 13 black cars chasing a red one.

My eyes widened, recognizing the red car instantly. "Shit," I muttered. "Matt, what the hell are you doing?"

As I watched, 11 of the black cars swerved away. "Either they've given up or are going to try and intercept him," I murmered.

"Most likely the latter," Near replied.

We both watched in utter silence as the car came to a four-way intersection. The cars that had swerved off earlier made a circle with an opening large enough that Matt would get surrounded and not even notice until it was too late.

I could see the gaps in between the cars.

Matt could drive in between them and get away.

He could do a 180 and go between the two cars that were still after him.

He could have gotten away.

But he didn't.

He slammed on the brakes and skidded to a stop in the middle of the circle.

From each car, two men in black suits got out, their guns aimed at the crimson vehicle. Matt got out of the car, hands up.

I could tell that he was saying something, but I don't know what. He was slowly reaching towards the back of his neck.

I knew him well enough to know he had a gun hidden in the back of his vest.

He wouldn't stand a chance. It was 26 against 1. Even if he did manage to shoot one of the men there, the others would have him dead before he could do anything.

I gulped, knowing what the outcome would be.

_Bang._

The sound of gunfire rang through the air there and the TV speakers here.

My friend of almost 12 years collapsed against his car, then onto the ground.

His body was full of bullet holes, as was his car. The one inatimate object he valued above his video games.

Matt was dead. There was no way he wasn't. Even if he had been wearing a bullet-proof vest with packets of fake blood, a bullet still got the side of his head.

Matt was dead, and there was nothing I could do about it.

There was a moment of silence. Either in mourning or trying to process what had just happened, I wasn't sure.

I was the one to break the silence.

I became a sobbing mess. Salty tear ran down my face as I clung to the albino beside me.

Gently, he placed a hand on my back, and stroked my hair with the other. Near didn't say anything, but I didn't mind. I just needed time to cry.

It felt like an hour before I stopped crying. I wiped my eyes with my sleeve and looked over at the television. I don't know whether or not the news was over, because the screen was black.

"I wonder if you'd cry like that if I tied in a couple days," I heard Near whisper; it was so quiet that I doubt he even wanted me to hear what he said.

Too bad if he didn't though, because I did.

"No, I wouldn't," I replied. Near looked at me, a slight bit of hurt showing on his face.

"I'd die with you," I said, pulling him into a tight hug. "I'd die with you or shortly afterwards."

He looked at me. "Are you still sure you want to go with us on Monday?"

I nodded. "I wouldn't miss it for the world. I want to see Kira defeated with my own eyes if it's the last thing I do."


	18. Chapter XVII: Kira is Finished

METALLIC FLOWER

Chapter XVII:

Kira is Finished

**A.N. S****ince I forgot to mention the name of the song that was in a couple chapters back, it was "Love Song" by Sara Bareilles. ****There's nothing for me to say, other than the fact that I'll probably have this story finished tonight.**

Monday, January 28, 2013. I stood behind Near, who sat on the floor of the warehouse. To try and distract myself from the mask he was wearing, I started analyzing the Task Force.

They all looked confident, with the exception of one. Matsuda, I believe his name was. He looked nervous.

I recognized Aizawa from the time he had come to the SPK headquarters to help us prove that Light Yagami is Kira.

After about half an hour, Near finally took off his mask and started speaking.

I kind of zoned out a bit at that point. I know it was rude and disrespectful, but can be difficult to listen to him explaining everything when you're used to him going on about things that aren't very important to the matter at hand.

Example: One year at Wammy's, each set of roommates (Matt was put with Near and I because Mello had already left, he didn't have a new roommate, and no one was allowed to work alone) were given a fake case that they had to solve. The difficulty level of each case depended on where each person was in the rankings. There was a brief mention of a real company (the murder victim had a distant cousin that worked there), and Near started talking about that company for almost an hour.

So like I said, I had every excuse to zone out a bit.

My attention was brought back to the current situation when Near mentioned Mikami writing down the names of everyone in this room but himself and Kira.

There was only one thought running through my head at that point. _What the hell!? Since when was this part of the plan!?_

After half a minute or so, I heard Light speak.

"Looks like I win, Near," he said. At that moment, all confusion in my mind suddenly turned into panic.

I didn't want to die. If Light wins, then we'll all die. This has just proved for certain that he is Kira, but what good will it do when everyone who knows ends up dead!?

Next thing I knew, the 40 seconds were up. We were all still alive.

A sigh of relief escaped from myself and Matsuda.

Light started panicking, and Near once again started talking. This time when I zoned out, it was because he was explaining what we had planned. I already knew what he was going to say.

When he had the fake notebook Mikami wrote our names in, I looked over and looked at the ones written in English.

_Anthony Carter, a.k.a. Rester... Stephen Loud, a.k.a. Gevanni... Halle Bullook, a.k.a. Lidner... Saffron Greystone, a.k.a. me... Nate River, a.k.a. Near by default._

I smirked to myself before looking up. As Near had been explaining the plan, Matsuda looked more and more upset.

When Light was backed against a wall, he opened a secret compartment in his watch and grabbed a pen.

He was about to write our names in a piece of the note, I was sure of it.

As I grabbed my gun to shoot him before he could write a name, I realized I wasn't the only one to come to the same conclusion; Gevanni, Rester, and Lidner also were prepared to shoot.

However, we didn't need to do anything; someone else had shot Light's hand, causing him to drop the pen. I looked over at the Task Force to see Matsuda holding a gun which was aimed at Light.

I couldn't understand what he was saying very well, seeing as I only know basic Japanese, but I could tell he was upset; he probably thought Light was innocent up until a little while ago. Poor guy.

I can't say I don't blame him, because there was blatant evidence that Light was Kira that had been poking around before hand. It wouldn't even take a genius to notice it.

He kept shooting at Light, and when I assumed he was on his last bullet, he fired a last shot a Light's head.

However, Aizawa and (I think) Ide pulled him back, causing the shot to miss.

After a moment, the wounded Light managed to get up and stumble-ran away.

"Should we go after him?" I asked, nodding towards the door.

"Don't worry about it," Near said, "the Shinigami will have finished him off in a few minutes."

I shrugged and put my gun away.

What was done was done.

Kira was dead.

That night back in the hotel room, I glanced over at the albino who was (trying to) re-pack his stuff.

"Having issues, Nate?" I joked. He stiffened a bit.

"You saw my name in the false notebook, didn't you?" he asked.

"Yeah," I admitted. "And as long as you don't have any objections, when it's just the two of us, I'm calling you Nate."

"I don't have any objections," he replied, "as long as I can call you by your real name, too."

"I don't mind."

Suddenly, I came up behind him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders.

"I love you, Nate," I whispered.

"I love you too, Saffron," he whispered back.

**A.N. Daww, more fluffiness! Damn, it's hard to believe that the next chapter is the epilogue, and that this story will be over once it's posted. **


	19. Epilogue: Four Years Later

METALLIC FLOWER

Epilogue:

Four Year Later

**A.N. I can't believe this is the end of Metallic Flower... It upsets me to a certain degree. I really enjoyed writing this, and there was some really awesome feedback.**

I sat on the floor of our new apartment, watching my husband build something out of Lego.

It felt so... weird... saying that. We went from roommates, to friends, to best friends, to lovers, and then, husband and wife.

The Kira case was long over, and although Nate did take on cases as L on a regular (almost constant) basis, neither of us were ever in that sort of danger again.

I had originally intended to give up the alias Silver, seeing as it brought back some memories I'd rather not remember, but with it were also memories I didn't want to give up.

So I still go by Silver in public, and only Nate knows me by (and is allowed to call me) Saffron. Just like I'm the only one allowed to call him Nate.

It didn't surprise me that I had to do all the unpacking.

As I used my old pocket knife (a tenth birthday present from Mello) to tear open the tape on another cardboard box, I noticed the writing in black sharpie on the top.

_Wammy's Keepsakes_

Opening the box, I found a large number of my first journals, as well as birthday presents from over the years.

And at the very bottom was my photo album/scrapbook. It was a bit of both.

I opened the book and started leafing through the pages.

I saw the picture of the super awesome snow fort Mello, Matt and I had built my first winter at Wammy's.

I saw the picture I took of Nate wearing a Santa hat; Matt had stuck the hat on his head and I took the picture before he could get it off.

I also saw A's suicide letter to me.

_Are you still watching me from wherever you are, A? _I thought._ I've done what you wanted for me. I'm happy, and I don't think I'll be dying anytime soon._

I closed the book and started thinking about something. I really want to write. You know, as a career, not just a hobby.

But to do that, I would need an idea for a story.

Being married to the world's greatest (currently living) detective, now that I think about it, will give me lots of plot ideas.

However, as I opened and started reading the first of my journals, I knew what I would write first.

I grabbed my laptop and opening my word processor, I started to type.

The first thing I had to do though was title the story.

And I knew just what to title this story.

_Metallic Flower_


End file.
